Tug Aries; 95 miles east of St. Paul, Alaska

95 miles east of St. Paul, Alaska | 2011-Jun-26

Initial Notification: On June 26, 2011, the NOAA Duty Officer was notified of the sinking of the 68-foot tugboat Aries in the Bering Sea approximately 95 miles east of St. Paul Island. St Paul is one of the Pribilof Islands, and is about 750 miles west of Anchorage. All 4 crew members were rescued. The Tug is sunken in about 300 feet of water, and there is a potential of 29,000 gallons of diesel. A sheen was reported on the surface. On Monday, June 27, USCG requested a trajectory for the fuel oil believed to be leaking from the vessel. Rate is unknown at this time. The tug was towing a barge carrying a mobile home and construction equipment. The barge was anchored to keep it from drifting. Another tug is en route and expected to arrive this afternoon. At the sunken tug location of approximately 100 nm ESE of St. Paul and about 100 meters water depth, considerable concern was expressed by NMFS regarding the possible oiling of some of the thousands of foraging fur seals which habitat this area, from escaping diesel, even though a very large diesel release as the tug was actually documented by the crewmen from the tug after escaping onto the barge. On several occasions the RP very diligently attempted various modes, both by vessel and by air, to monitoring the occurrence of sheen on the surface nothing was ever noted. The combination of heavy weather and human safety concerns, led to a halt of these efforts and to the assumption that it was likely that the entire diesel contents of the tug had been relesased. .